Biography of John H. Smith

John H. Smith, a farmer of Kansasville, is one of the native sons of the County, his birth having occurred in Dover Township, March 14, 1851. His parents, William and Mary (Welsh) Smith, were natives of England and Ireland, respectively, the former born June 17, 1824, and the latter in 1826. They were married in Racine County, but the parents of neither ever came to America. It was in 1842 that William Smith crossed the Atlantic and established his home in Dover Township, Racine County, after remaining for a short time in the east and for a brief period in Milwaukee. On reaching this County he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land from the government for a dollar and a quarter per acre and upon the farm built a log cabin, after which he began to clear his land of timber, for it was a wooded tract. In 1875 he purchased forty acres more and he continued to reside upon the old homestead and devote his attention to its cultivation up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1898. For twelve years he had survived his wife, who died in 1886. He was well known and well liked and left behind him many warm friends. His wife was a member of the Catholic Church and Mr. Smith gave his political allegiance to the Republican Party. In their family were eight children, of whom Robert, the eldest, a carpenter of Union Grove, died in 1914. Those still living are: Amelia, the wife of William Donald, a retired farmer, living in Union Grove; John H.; Eliza, the wife of John Crane, a retired farmer of Union Grove: William, a resident. of Union Grove; Anna, the wife of H. G. Dardis, a lumber merchant of Burlington; Carrie, the widow of James Bell and a resident of Waukesha, and Hattie, the wife of J. H. Youngs, a merchant of Union Grove.

John H. Smith obtained a district school education and afterward took up the occupation of farming, which he has always followed. He started out on his own account with a forty-acre tract of land which he purchased and since that time he has continuously carried on general agricultural pursuits. He today has one hundred and sixty acres and in addition to tilling the soil he raises considerable stock. He has a beautiful residence and outbuildings, which he erected, and the farm presents a most neat and attractive appearance. Progressiveness characterizes him in all that he undertakes and he is numbered among the leading agriculturists of his community.

In 1875 Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Lewis, a daughter of William and Mary (Millard) Lewis, both of whom were natives of England and about 1850 came to Dover Township. Mr. Lewis always followed farming and won a substantial measure of success in that undertaking. His fellow townsmen spoke of him in terms of high regard and he was widely and favorably known. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born five children, namely: Mary E., the wife of George B. Wherry, a butcher of Racine; Nellie E., the wife of Harry Apple, a representative and progressive farmer of Norway Township; Lulu B., the wife of Fred Dixon, a real estate man of Union Grove, who also has other business interests; Alice May, the wife of Dr. W. L. Dunkirk, a dentist, of Union Grove, and Boyd Arthur, who is with his parents upon the home farm.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and he also belongs to the Modern Woodmen. In politics he is a republican and has been an active party worker. He has served as chairman of the board of supervisors for eleven years altogether and has made a most creditable record in that office. He also served as town clerk for four years and for thirty-eight years has been treasurer of the school board. His aid and co-operation can always be counted upon to further any plan or project for the general good and his worth is acknowledged by all who know him.